Signing day: When dreams come true

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EASTERN IDAHO – You’ve seen the photos.

High school athletes sitting behind a table, smiles as big as the crescent moon, surrounded by friends and family, dreams ready to become a reality with the stroke of a pen.

The photos may look almost generic, but the stories behind signing day are as diverse as the individuals. Hard work, maybe a little luck, combined with plenty of support from friends, family and coaches, all culminates in getting to celebrate signing day.

It’s been a busy time for area signees. Here are few of their stories:

“Ever since I was little I wanted to play college sports,” said Madison volleyball player Aspen Boice, who recently signed with Idaho State, where she’ll join cousin and former Madison teammate Nora Waddoups.

Boice also said Madison teammate Mia Walsh will also head to Idaho State.

“There were so many resources there and the people were amazing,” Boice said of her visit to Idaho State.

Boice also plays basketball, but has thrived at libero during the Bobcats’ state title volleyball runs and found her place in Pocatello.

“It’s definitely a relief just to know I have somewhere that wants me and I can fall back on,” she said. “But it’s also wanting to push me to the next level because there are people there in my position and I just want to get better and be the best I can for the team.”

American Falls wrestler Nate Gugelman II has been wrestling since he was 5.

But by the time he was 10 or 11, it was clear he had found his calling.

“It’s something I’ve grown to love,” said Gugelman, noting there were some tough times battling through injuries. “My way to cope was the wrestling … It was just who I am at this point.”

As a sixth grader Gugelman said he watched the national tournament, and that was the first time he thought about a wrestling career that included going to college.

Gugelman enters his senior season as a three-time state champion with a career record of 131-3.

He’s known Utah Valley coach Adam Hall since sixth grade and made his first visit to Utah Valley.

“It just felt right,” Gugelman said.

Gugelman will compete for this fourth high school state title this winter, but said he was happy to finally get his future lined up.

“Having it done, it feels great,” he said. “It takes a bit of an edge off. I’m always looking to get better … so I can’t settle now just because I’m signed. I haven’t reached all my goals yet. I’m going to keep pursuing them.”

Highland’s Spencer Van Orden also comes from an athletic family with a running background. His father Mark and aunt ran at Idaho State and other aunts and uncles competed in track. His brother Jacob, a Highland grad, runs at Columbia University. Mark is the cross country coach at Highland.

“From a pretty young age (running) was something that I knew I wanted to do,” Spencer said. “As soon as it was introduced to me in middle school it was the thing I loved and I wanted to take it as far as I could.”

Van Orden started out as a cross country runner but eventually transitioned to hurdles after a back injury put an end to distance running.

“The hurdles didn’t bug me at all,” Van Orden said.

Apparently not.

Van Orden became one of the top recruited track athletes in the state after winning state titles in the 110 and 300 hurdles and setting state records in both events.

He’s been one of the state’s top sprinters, but it’s the hurdles where Van Orden shines.

“I really had my pick and could have gone anywhere,” Van Orden said of the recruiting process, which kicked off after sophomore year. “A lot of people wanted me, but Texas Tech has a great history with hurdles and they’re really building something special down there, not just in track, but sports in general … I really wanted to be part of it.”

Van Orden said he wanted to make his decision before the track season in the spring.

He visited USC, LSU, Nebraska, Mississippi State and UCLA during the recruiting process.

“I started taking cross country more serious my freshman year and that was the year I was like ‘I love cross country and I love track and I can picture myself doing this in college,’” Idaho Falls distance runner Jaycee Jensen said.

She set goals and became motivated to make that dream come true.

“I didn’t know if it was even possible,” she said. “But I was excited to see what I could do.”

Jensen ran a personal-best of 18:05.7 to finish second at the 5A state cross country championships to help lead the Tigers to the state team title.

She also won a state title in the 3,200 at last season’s state track and field meet and finished third in the 1,600.

Jensen visited Montana State, Utah State, and Southern Utah.

But it was her visit to Weber State that sealed the deal.

“I remember coming home and saying that I have a really good feeling about this school,” Jensen said. “It was amazing.”

Sometimes a coach might see potential even before the athlete sees it for themselves.

Pocatello’s Abby Lusk has been a standout volleyball and basketball player and could have played either sport in college.

She made the decision to play basketball and recently signed with Gonzaga.

“Probably when I saw her walking the halls of middle school,” Pocatello basketball coach Sunny Evans said of seeing something special with Lusk. “She didn’t have a ball in her hands, but the way she carried herself – she carried herself like an athlete.”

Evans said that even in middle school she could tell Lusk had the confidence and talent to go far.

That’s a rare thing.

Only about 2% of high school athletes go on to play at a Division I college.

So when you seen those generic signing photos, remember that sometimes dreams do come true.

Kalama Hines of East Idaho Sports contributed to this report.